GB2209558A

GB2209558A - Rear face hinge

Info

Publication number: GB2209558A
Application number: GB8720921A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mark John Tetsell
Original assignee: UNIVERSAL PANELS
Current assignee: UNIVERSAL PANELS
Priority date: 1987-09-05
Filing date: 1987-09-05
Publication date: 1989-05-17
Anticipated expiration: 2007-09-05
Also published as: GB8720921D0; GB2209558B

Abstract

A rear face hinge for mounting on the rear face of a door or particularly on the rear face of a pivotally-mounted access panel for a ceiling. Where the access panel is to be faced with tiles intended to match with a tiled surface of the ceiling in which the access panel is fitted, it is not possible to use visible hinges or parts thereof between the abutting hinged edges of the access panel and the ceiling as this would spoil the otherwise uninterrupted apparently continuous appearance of the tiled surfaces. Also if conventional rear face hinges were to be used there would be insufficient clearance at the hinge line to enable the access panel to be opened without interference between the adjacent edge of tiles on the access panel and the tiled ceiling surface. Therefore the rear face hinge is of Z-shape and has a first leaf 10 to be secured to the rear face of the access panel 5, an intermediate second leaf 11 pivotally connected to the first leaf about a first hinge line 14 and a third leaf 12 to be secured to supporting structure positioned behind and spaced from the rear face of the access panel when closed, the third leaf 12 being pivotally connected to the second leaf 11 about a second hinge-line 15 parallel to the first hinge-line 14. <IMAGE>

Description

REAR FACE HINGE The invention relates to a rear face hinge for mounting on the rear face of a door or a pivotally-mounted access panel for a ceiling or wall and hereinafter called a "door".

An object of the invention is to provide a rear face hinge for a door, as hereinbefore defined, which will not be visible from the front face of the door and which will not be located between adjacent side edges of the door and the frame or aperture in which it is fitted when closed. Such a hinge enables the front face of the door and the surface in which the aperture or frame is provided to have a matching surface. For example, the surrounding surface and the door may both be tiled to give the appearance of a continuous tiled surface when the door is closed and which is not interrupted by visible hinges or parts thereof between the door and the surrounding surface.To avoid spoiling this uninterrupted continuous appearance it is desirable that there should be minimum clearance between adjacent edges of the door and the surface, and preferably the clearance between adjacent edges should be approximately equal to the thickness of the spaces or grouting between adjacent tiles. Where the tiles are ceramic, this minimum clearance would not be sufficient, where using conventional face hinges mounted on the rear face of the door, to permit opening of the door without interference between the edges adjacent tiles on the door and the adjacent surface on either side of the hinge line and thus either the door could not be opened or the tiles would be damaged or prised off. A further object of the invention is to provide a rear face hinge for a door, as hereinbefore defined, which will overcome this latter problem.

According to the invention, a rear face hinge for a door, as hereinbefore defined, comprises a first leaf to be secured to the rear face of the door, an intermediate second leaf pivotally connected at one end thereof to said first leaf about a first hinge-line and a third leaf to be secured to a supporting structure positioned behind and spaced from the rear face of the door when closed, said third leaf being pivotally connected to the second leaf at the other end thereof about a second hinge-line parallel to the first hinge-line, whereby the three leaves together form a Z-configuration, when the door is closed, the first leaf being pivotable with respect to the second leaf about said first hinge-line and the second leaf being pivotable with respect to the third leaf about said second hinge-line, when the door is opened.

The hinge enables the door to be pivoted about' the first hinge-line through a comparatively small angle to enable the end edge of the door remote from the hinge to be moved in an arc about the first hinge-line until said remote end edge has been moved out of the aperture in which the door is fitted when closed and then to be pivoted through a much larger angle until the door is fully open by continued pivoting of the first leaf with respect to the second leaf about said first hinge-line and by pivoting of said second leaf with respect to said third leaf about said second hinge-line until a limiting position in which the first leaf and said second leaf are longitudinally aligned one with the other has been reached.

The hinge may extend through a major part of or substantially the whole length of the length of the door adjacent the edge of the rear face of the door where the hinge is to be provided or two or more shorter hinges spaced apart along said length of the door may be employed.

By way of example, an access panel, being a door, as hereinbefore defined, fitted within an aperture in a suspended or false ceiling and provided with a hinge in accordance with the invention, is now described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a section through the access panel and a surrounding part of the false ceiling and showing an end view of the hinge, and Figure 2 is a perspective view of part of the access panel and the hinge shown in Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings, the false ceiling 1 is supported from a first ceiling or roof by support members or hangers 2 and has an aperture 3 therein defined by two pairs of parallel channel section members of which only one pair 4 is shown. The aperture 3 is closed by the access panel 5, as shown. The false ceiling 1 and the access panel 5 are clad with plaster-board sheet 6 and faced with ceramic tiles 7. The tiles 7 on the access panel 5 are of the same size and are aligned with the tiles on the ceiling 1 and so when the access panel 5 is closed the tiled surfaces of the access panel 5 and the ceiling 1 may be made to have a uniform appearance. The clearance gaps 8 between the ends and sides of the access panel 5 and the ceiling 1 are of minimum width and substantially align with gaps, which may be grouted, between the tiles.As a result, it is necessary to use a hinge or hinges which are not visible from the front surface of the ceiling and access panel and do not have any part thereof which extends into or through the relevant gap 8.

Furthermore, as the gap 8 adjacent the hinge or hinges and the opposite gap 8' are of minimum width a normal type of hinge cannot be employed as otherwise there would be interference between the adjacent edges of the tiles 7 on either side of the gap 8 at the hinge end and this would prevent the access panel 5 from opening or the adjacent tiles 7 would be damaged or prised off.

In accordance with this invention,the hinge or each of two or more hinges employed are face hinges and comprise a first leaf 10 which is secured to the rear face of the access panel 5, a second or intermediate leaf 11 and a third leaf 12 which is secured to and supported by a flange 13 on the adjacent fixed member 4 at a position spaced from the rear face of the access panel 5. The first and second leaves 10 and 11 are pivotally-connected together by a hinge-pin 14 along a first hinge-line and the second and third leaves 11 and 12 are pivotally-connected together by a hinge-pin 15 along a second hinge-line parallel to the first hinge-line. When the access panel 5 is closed, the leaves of the or each hinge form a Zconfiguration and support the hinged end of the access panel 5 as shown in Figure 1.The opposite end of the access panel 5 is supported by an openable latch plate 16 engageable in a slot in the adjacent member 4.

When the latch plate 16 is removed from engagement with the adjacent member 4, the access panel 5 will pivot downwardly, or can be pivoted outwardly where the hinges are arranged vertically as in a door, through a comparatively small angle about the hinge-line 14.

During this movement the end edge 17 will travel in the arc 18 about the hinge-line 15 until it is clear of the edge 19 of the adjacent part of the ceiling 1. The angle of pivoting is not sufficiently great as to cause the adjacent edges 20,21 of the tiles 7 on opposite sides of the gap 8 to abut each other. When the end edge 17 has moved completely out of the aperture, the access panel 5 will pivot through a much greater angle by relative angular movement between the leaves 10 and 11 about the hinge-line 14 and between the leaves 11 and 12 about the hinge-line 15 until a limiting position is reached when the leaf 10 will be longitudinally aligned with the leaf 11 and will extend perpendicularly to the leaf 12. In this position the access panel 5 will hang vertically and the aperture will be fully open. In the case of a vertically-hinged door, the door could remain partly-opened in a position in which the leaves 10 and 11 are disposed to each other at an angle less than 1800 and the leaf 11 is disposed at an angle of less than 900 to the fixed leaf 12.

The access panel 5 is returned to its closed position in a reverse manner, first by folding the hinge or hinges to a Z-configuration until the access panel 5 is almost closed and then by pivoting the access panel 5 through a small angle about the hinge-line 14 while the panel is being re-introduced into the aperture 3 and finally into the position shown in Figure 1. Then the access panel 5 is re-latched by means of the latch-plate 16.

Claims

1. A rear face hinge for a door or a pivotally mounted access panel for a ceiling or wall and herein called a "door" comprising a first leaf to be secured to the rear face of the door, an intermediate second leaf pivotally connected at one end thereof to said first leaf about a first hinge-line and a third leaf to be secured to a supporting structure positioned behind and spaced from the rear face of the door when closed, said third leaf being pivotally connected to the second leaf at the other end thereof about a second hinge-like parallel to the first hinge-line, whereby the three leaves together form a Z configuration, when the door is closed, the first leaf being pivotable with respect to the second leaf about said first hing-line and the second leaf being pivotable with respect to the third leaf about said second hinge-line, when the door is opened.

2. The combination or a pivotally-mounted access panel for a ceiling or wall and herein called a "door" and a rear face hinge according to Claim 1.

3. The combination according to Claim 2 in which the hinge extends through a major part of or through substantially the whole of the length of the door adjacent the edge of the rear face of the door on which the hinge is mounted.

4. The combination according to Claim 2 in which there are two or more hinges spaced apart along the length of the door adjacent the edge of the rear face of the door on which the hinges are mounted.

5. A rear face hinge for an access panel constructed and arranged substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.

6. The combination of an access panel and a rear face hinge therefor constructed and arranged substantially as described herein with reference to the accompanying drawings.